Orange is the new Black Stars Escape To Mohegan Sun – Interview Exclusive!
By Tsadiqwah Scarville | December 30, 2014 | Entertainment“Brooklyn Bound” contributor Tsadiqwah Scarville packs a bag for Connecticut to meet with the cast of Orange is the new Black at Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort!
EveryoneΓÇÖs favorite Orange is the new Black convicts are on the loose (maybe they escaped there to take advantage of Mohegan Sun’s New Year’s Eve holiday specials)!
DivaGalsDaily caught up with cast members Adrienne C. Moore, Dascha Polanco and Vicky Jeudy for a private interview as the women confabbed about prison life in arguably the most popular TV show of all time. If you haven’t seen the abruptly intuitive, sex craved, over-ruling girl-power prison show on Netflix, I promise you can binge watch all of Season 1 and Season 2 in a matter of 24-hours (I did!).
In our secret conclave backstage at The Mohegan Sun Casino Reality Check series, Black Cindy (played by Moore), Dayanara (played by Polanco) and Janae Watson (played by Jeudy) were careful not to give away any Season 3 spoilers, but they all agree there’s only one word that sums up the upcoming season of OITNB, and that’s JUICY!
Did you guys have any idea the show would be as successful as it is?
AC: No, particularly with Season 1 because it was this show on Netflix. I remember when we used to hangout in between filming episodes and we were like shouting, “Orange is the New Blaaaack!” in restaurants and nobody would say anything. They were like, “Okay and?” But nowΓǪ I don’t think anyone could expect this big grandiosity of it. I sort of felt with Jenji Kohan; the reputation that she has as a solid writer and the success that she had with Weeds. I felt like, okay I think people are going to pay attention. And we are so glad that they did and it was a resounding attention.
What were you all doing before OITNB?
VP: I was actually working for the U.S. Immigration Services.
DP: I was a manager of a sterilization facility.
AC: I was typically acting and auditioning, doing anything I can do.
What has the chemistry been like on set working among the one of the most diverse casts on television?
DP: We bonded; it’s like a family. You know we all work together for a positive end product, and we just bring it to the table so that people are looking at our work and our distinctions. So it’s been an honor, it’s been a pleasure. We learn from each other.
OITNB is know for its intense sex scenes, how does one prepare for those titillating skin-on-skin moments?
DP: People sometimes ask me do you guys really have sex? Music is one of my second passions. I use it for meditation and I think it’s very healing for me in preparation of those scenes. I’m not going to listen to like Tupac right before I go and have sex or anything like that. I think I’m more so focused on the action of and what the characters actually feel at that moment.
How does the character you portray on the show relate to your personality in real life?
JV: I’m pretty bubbly, but Janae, she’s angry because of the consequences she’s paying for her actions. I love the fact that we’re both activists in our own way. I’m very much into the whole civil rights movement, especially with what’s happening right now — the nation is in a crisis — and making sure everyone has a voice. If I could be in New York City right now in Union Square I would be there in a second.
In the Season 2 finale, fans saw how Vee (Lorraine Toussaint) miraculously fled Litchfield only to be struck down by Rosa (Barbara Rosenblat). And Pornstache (Pablo Schreiber) was fired as CO for taking the blame for John Bennett (MattMcGorry) who is responsible for getting Dayanara pregnant. What types of plots would you guys like to see happen inside Litchfield?
DP: I like the idea of fusing the stories within the prison. I would to have a scene with Black Cindy. I would love to have a scene with Janae Watson. The way it’s structured, separating each race or each dorm. Sometimes we don’t get to share.
AC: I think they do that to sort of keep the world of Litchfield larger. As audience members we want to think it is because we’re drawn in so close and so much to the storytelling and the lives of the characters.
Tune into the award-winning Orange is the new Black Season 3 on Netflix when it premieres mid-2015 and check out the DivaGals FB page for my exclusive photos with the OITNB cast at The Mohegan Sun’s Reality Check series!